Dave and Diane Silva, at right, ask the public Tuesday at a Denver news conference for information about the death of their son, Spec. Anthony Silva, who was found dead early Saturday near a motel where he was staying. At left is Anthony Silva's brother Joe, 19.

<B>Anthony Silva</B> was hoping to be deployed to Afghanistan, but a back injury kept him from going, his mother said.

The family of a Fort Carson soldier who was shot and killed near his Denver motel early Saturday have launched a plea for help in uncovering details about his death.

Anthony Silva, 25, was found shot to death at the north end of the 3800 block of Paris Street, near the Motel 6 where he was staying.

Silva, a specialist stationed at Fort Carson, was planning to meet his father, Dave Silva, at the hotel Saturday morning so they could drive together to Anthony Silva’s hometown of Columbia, Ill.

“I came here expecting a road trip home with a great young man,” Dave Silva said. “He had his whole life ahead of him, and it was stolen from him and us.”

Denver police said they had little information about a possible motive behind the shooting.

“This is a horrific event,” said Capt. Ron Saunier.

Anthony Silva was last seen walking his dog and cat near the motel Friday evening, but police do not believe the animals were with him when he was shot.

Both animals are in the custody of his parents.

Silva — Tony to his friends and family — completed a tour in South Korea before re-enlisting in hopes of being deployed to Afghanistan, but a back injury prevented him from doing so, said his mother, Diane Silva.

Silva said her son was placed on leave Thursday and would have been medically discharged in August.

Jordan Steffen was the legal affairs reporter for The Denver Post. She left the organization in June 2016 after joining in January 2011. Her past coverage areas included breaking news, child welfare, the western suburbs and crime. She was raised in the Colorado mountains and graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder.

More in News

Russian officials had disdainful words Saturday for a U.S. indictment that charged 13 Russians with interfering in the 2016 presidential election. Children’s stories, the plot of a preposterous Hollywood movie and “just blabber” were a few of the glib analogies they pressed into service.

President Donald Trump’s national security adviser said Saturday there was “incontrovertible” evidence of a Russian plot to disrupt the 2016 U.S. election, a blunt statement that shows how significantly the new criminal charges leveled by an American investigator have upended the political debate over his inquiry.

The University of Colorado leadership is grappling with how to address a nationwide nosedive in the favorability of higher education — particularly, among conservatives — as CU’s own representatives and decision-makers disagree on what’s behind the downturn.